Daily Recap — June 18

“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning to do afterward.”

― Kurt Vonnegut

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HOROWITZ ON THE HILL

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Welp, we finally got to hear the IG report discussed by the IG himself. And thanks to general worthlessness of the GOP, it wasn’t nearly as explosive as it should have been. There were some highlights, though, at least enough to make it worth writing about.

Let’s go down a list of the highlights, lowlights, medium lights and whatever other levels of illumination the facts demand.

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1) Comey, McCabe, Lynch declined invite to testify:

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Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced at the beginning of the hearing that the panel also invited former Attorney General Loretta Lynch-Whitefolks, Leakin’ James Comey and Deep State McCabe to testify about their starring roles in the IG report.

All three, according to Grassley, declined to appear and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) refused to compel them, which is required by the committee’s rule. Comey, according to his attorney, was out of the country and thus unable to testify. Except he wasn’t. He just tweeted a picture of himself standing in some Iowa cornfield with an equally corny statement about “new growth.”

Grassley was happy to point this out, saying “I saw he was in Iowa over the weekend. According to his Twitter feed, he seems to be having a wonderful time.”

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Comey is under full protection of the Democrats now. There are other probes ongoing (which we’ll discuss in a moment), but let there be no doubt — the Dims are going to fight for him all the way.

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2) Fox News only cable network to carry most of the hearing live:

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Big shocker here, Fox was the only cable news network to carry the beginning of Wray and Horowitz’s testimony live.

Fake CNN referenced the beginning of the hearing, but then went straight back to the nonstop 24/7 open borders propaganda about da churren being separated.

MSNBC interviewed former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo at the start of the hearing, trying to dig up dirt on the campaign.

Pure propaganda. That’s what they are. They don’t even try to fake it anymore.

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3) Grassley hammers FBI over double standards:

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Senator Grassley criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Hillzdawg’s private email server after the IG report revealed “shocking” new details about top former bureau officials’ conduct.

“It wasn’t just Hillary Clinton using private email for official business, so was Jim Comey,” Grassley said. “It wasn’t just Andy McCabe talking to the press, so were dozens of others at all levels of the FBI.”

Grassley also pointed out the rather obvious fact that Clinton and Trump were treated far differently by investigators during the respective federal probes, comparing the “kid-glove treatment” Clinton received while under investigation to the “bare-knuckle tactics” Trump has received under the special counsel probe.

Anyone with an IQ above room temperature takes those facts to be self-evident, which means the Dims were able to argue against them with ease.

Ranking Dim member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) doubled down on the talking point that the FBI’s decisions during the race helped Trump win the election and hurt Clinton’s campaign.

“Importantly, the report found no evidence that these personal. political views tainted workplace decisions,” she added.

What Feinstein (purposely) omits to mention is that the decisions made by Comey hurt Clinton, not those made by his investigators. The investigators helped Clinton very much, MOSTLY BY NOT INVESTIGATING NOR RECOMMENDING CHARGES FOR OBVIOUS VIOLATIONS OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT.

We were hard-pressed to find a Republican actually offer up that information in order to combat that Democrat talking points because, again, they’re utterly worthless.

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4) J. Edgar Wray is firmly within the Good Ole Boy’s Network:

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Or “Deep State,” if you will.

Wray assured lawmakers in his opening statement that the bureau accepts the IG’s recommendations, noting that as part of its response the FBI has already referred the conduct called out by the Justice Department watchdog to the bureau’s internal disciplinary unit. Once that process is complete, he said, “we will not hesitate to hold people accountable.”

And then he promptly made me lose faith that he would hold anyone accountable.

He once again launched into the line of BS he unleashed after the release of the report last Thursday, defending the bureau as a whole by labeling the corruption revealed within the report as “the actions of a few members in a particularly difficult investigation did not impugn the integrity of the wider institution.”

REMINDER: THE “FEW PEOPLE” HE’S REFERRING TO WERE THE FBI DIRECTOR, THE DEPUTY FBI DIRECTOR AND THE DEPUTY HEAD OF THE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE DIVISION.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) obliquely criticized Wray’s initial public response to the IG report as “downplaying” its findings, arguing that the document showed a serious problem with the culture at FBI headquarters.

“If we can look at just one or two investigations and find this much bias, I can only imagine what else is out there,” Hatch said.

“How can you assure Congress that you are taking seriously the problems identified in the inspector general report when your very first public response was to downplay its significance?”

He can’t, Senator. That’s the answer. He can’t.

J. Edgar later reiterated his statement defending King Bob during his testimony and disagreed with PDT that PutinGate is a witch hunt. Then again, one wouldn’t expect him to say anything else in that situation, but the canned, robotic apologetics he employed reveal a man who seems utterly unprepared and/or unwilling to shake up the bureau in the way it requires.

“I do not believe special counsel Mueller is on a witch hunt,” Wray told Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT.).

Until he shows me otherwise, I view Wray in the same light as Rosenstein. I believe he views the protection of the bureaucracy as his first and foremost duty. I’m not sure where the rest of his priorities fall on the list, but I’m fairly confident that accountability to the American people is somewhere near the bottom.

It’s enough to make me nauseous.

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5) Rudy is the next big Deep State target:

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Director Wray acknowledged under questioning from a Dim Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) that a lawyer can obstruct justice on behalf of their client. When asked generally if a lawyer for a subject could obstruct justice, Wray replied “absolutely.”

While Whitehouse did not mention any names, his line of questioning was most definitely aimed at Rudy Giuliani, who recently suggested that PDT may pardon those convicted in King Bob’s probe into Trump campaign associates’ ties to Russia.

“When the whole thing is over, things might get cleaned up with some presidential pardons,” Giuliani said in an interview last Friday.

The remarks were in response to a federal judge revoking bail for Paul Manafort for alleged witness tampering, which sent him to jail until his trial later this year. The tampering was not proven and the act of revoking someone’s bail in a white-collar crime virtually never happens. But it’s different when you’re connected to Trump. Everything is different.

In any event, Rudy can speculate on pardons all day long. It’s not illegal and, no, it’s not obstruction of justice.

But that’s just one angle from which they’re attacking Rudy. The other seems to be much more serious, at least potentially.

Sen. Feinstein reared her exceedingly ugly head once again to press the IG for additional information about how Giuliani, one of PDT’s surrogates during the campaign, seemed to know the FBI was planning to reopen its investigation into Hillzdawg’s email server.

Feinstein noted that Giuliani first “bragged” on Fox News in late October 2016 about a surprise that would unfold “in the next few days” — three days before Comey made the announcement effectively reopening the review of the Clinton email probe, aka the discovery of content on Spanky Weiner’s laptop.

“On Nov. 4, when asked whether he had heard about this, Giuliani said, ‘Did I hear about it? You’re darn right I heard about it,’” Feinstein noted.

Horowitz, who highlighted multiple instances of improper FBI contacts with the press in his report, said he cannot comment on this because his office’s “investigative work is still ongoing.”

“We put this in here so that the readers and the public could see our concerns about the number of contacts with the media and systemically, but I am not in a position to speak about any investigative outcomes,” he responded.

So it looks like Rudy is part of the new leak sting. Interesting.

The Mayor clarified during a subsequent interview Nov. 4 on Fake News CNN that he was previously speaking based on information from “former FBI agents,” adding, “it’s all hearsay.”

Unless they can prove Rudy was given confidential investigatory information, which they won’t, this is going nowhere. It’s just cannon fodder used as suppressive fire; headlines to compete with those pointing out FBI corruption. A deflection.

Hang in there, Rudy. This will pass.

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6) Sen. Kennedy essentially calls Horowitz an idiot:

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Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) invoked the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny and former mob boss Jimmy Hoffa in a question to IG Horowitz about bias in the FBI.

“General, do you believe in the tooth fairy?” Kennedy asked.

“No,” Horowitz replied.

“Do you believe in the Easter bunny?”

“No.”

“Do you believe that Jimmy Hoffa died of natural causes?”

“Not based on what I’ve read.”

Kennedy then referenced part of Horowitz’s report citing a previously undisclosed, anti-Trump text message exchange between Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page that took place during the 2016 campaign.

“Do you honestly believe that the American people are going to look at this report and look at those emails and not believe that there was bias, and people acting on bias, and that the fix was in at the FBI?” Kennedy said.

“I completely understand the concerns, senator, and that’s why we’ve laid all of this out here, and that’s why we found that it impacts the credibility of the handling of the of the investigation,” Horowitz replied.

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Horowitz isn’t completely full of crap with that answer. He actually did outline bias within the investigation, even expressing a belief that Peter Strzok used political bias when abandoning the Clinton probe to take up investigating Trump.

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THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NICE THING TO HARP ON, CONSIDERING IT GETS TO THE HEART OF THE PROBE THAT SEEKS TO TAKE DOWN THE PRESIDENT OF THE ****ING United States.

I’m sorry, everyone, but this stuff is getting to me.

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7) Graham presses Horowitz about FBI bias against Trump

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Want to know how lackluster the GOP was in today’s questioning? The star of the show was Twinkletoes friggin Graham. Anymore questions?

Graham got particularly heated when asking Horowitz about possible FBI bias against PDT during the election. He specifically seized on how one agent, who conducted the FBI’s interview of Hillary Clinton about her use of a private email server, told another FBI official on Election Day that he was “with her,” obviously referring to Hillary’s idiotic campaign slogan.

As Graham went down the list of texts between Strzok and Page THAT ESSENTIALLY PROVE INTENT TO GUIDE THE INVESTIGATION TOWARD A FAVORABLE POLITICAL OUTCOME, he asked Horowitz “how he felt” about each one, to which Horowitz consistently replied: “Very concerned.”

See what happens when we start voting out the NeverTrumpers, folks? Political engagement is our best hope.

Graham also asked Horowitz about Leakin’ James Comey’s decision during the election to call Hillary’s handling of her emails “extremely careless” and not use the phrase “grossly negligent,” which has criminal implications.

Graham, after laying out a series of concerns about Horowitz’s findings, raised the possibility that some of the agents’ biases against Trump could’ve influenced their decision not to charge Clinton with criminal charges, since they indicated a preference for her over the Republican candidate.

Graham said this likely would’ve derailed Clinton’s campaign and helped Trump, suggesting this may have been a motivation for not doing so. You know, what I’ve said a million times since this garbage began; that not prosecuting Clinton did more for her than anything Comey did to “help” Trump.

“What is the difference between ‘reckless disregard’ and ‘gross negligence’?” Graham asked.

“Not much,” Horowitz replied.

“It is a lot politically,” Graham said in response.

The difference is one phrase is explicitly spelled out in federal law, whereas the other is lawyer-speak to avoid prosecution. And everyone in that room knows it.

The circumstantial evidence of the Hillary probe being a political sham job is absolutely overwhelming. I do appreciate Sens. Kennedy and Graham bringing this up today, but it should have been yelled through a bullhorn by every damn Senator on that dias.

As far as action, Graham is sending a “letter” to J. Edgar Wray to lay out the considerable circumstantial case and formally request an actual FBI investigation be opened.

I’m not holding my breath.

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8) Horowitz denies that the IG report was neutered:

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Horowitz denied that his report was improperly made “weaker,” as PDT had claimed in a tweet just prior to its release last week.

“We followed normal processes. [The report] was not made weaker or softer in any regard,” Horowitz told the committee.

In the spirit of trust-but-verify, though, a trio of House GOP members have also asked for the drafts of Horowitz’s report, arguing that “people may have changed the report in a way that obfuscates your findings.”

While it is part of the normal process for an inspector general to solicit comment during the course of producing a final report, the behavior of the FBI and DOJ over the last couple years in concealing or presenting misleading info warrants the request of the GOP congressmen.

Damn right we want to see it.

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9) Wray has set up a dedicated leak investigation unit:

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As alluded to earlier in the piece, J. Edgar Wray told lawmakers that the bureau has set up a “dedicated leak investigation unit” to ferret out inappropriate disclosures to the news media.

“We won’t hesitate to throw the book at people who violate our rules on this,” Wray said, noting that he had rolled out a new media contacts policy for the bureau in November.

This came as a response to Orrin Hatch’s grilling over portions of the IG report that highlighted unauthorized contacts between members of the media and FBI officials. You know, where Fake News reporters were trading baseball game tickets, restaurant reservations and God-knows-what-else in exchange for leaks and access.

The media sure have been silent on that section of the report. Go figure. And aside from that short spark of questioning from Hatch, the GOP seem all too content to let them skate. Trump has even been somewhat silent on this aspect of the report, which is very surprising.

He’s a busy man, though. I expect him to get to it soon. The rest of these bums have no excuse.

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10) We learned that Leakin’ James is under investigation again:

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Horowitz revealed that his office received an FBI referral on Comey’s handling of memos, and is currently handling the issue.

“Are you investigating Comey’s handling of his memos and does that include the classification issues? And should Mr. Comey expect a report when it is complete?” Sen. Grassley asked.

“We received a referral on that from the FBI. We are handling that referral and we will issue a report when the matter is complete, consistent with the law and rules,” Horowitz said.

It was first reported in April that Horowitz’s office was reviewing Comey’s decision to provide his butt buddy, Columbia law professor Daniel Richman, with memos that government officials now view as containing classified information.

Richman later verbally shared the contents of the memos to The Failing New York Times.

Just to refresh your memory, Comey hired Richman to work in the FBI, though it’s not clear what in the hell kind of business Richman had working there. From all appearances, it seems as if Richman’s sole purpose was to leak things for his buddy Comey. He was even granted a security clearance.

There isn’t a single aspect of this guy’s life that isn’t shady.

And now, he’s under investigation for leaking classified info.

How’s that lecture tour on ethical leadership coming, James?

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11) GRAHAM ALLUDES TO A POSSIBLE BOMBSHELL:

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There was one really small part of today’s hearing that hasn’t gotten much play from the legacy media but, in my opinion, might have been the most important moment of the day.

When former Attorney General Loretta Lynch-Whitefolks testified in 2016 about her decision not to prosecute Hillary for mishandling classified information, she swore she never talked to “anyone” on the Clinton campaign. That categorical denial, though made in response to a series of questions about whether she spoke with Clintonworld about remaining attorney general if Hillary won the election, could come back to haunt her.

The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) reportedly learned last year of the existence of a document indicating Lynch assured the political director of Hillary’s campaign, Amanda Renteria, that she wouldn’t let FBI agents “go too far” in the email probe.

Lynch’s lawyer said she is cooperating with SJC investigators, who are seeking answers to several questions, as well as relevant documents. Among other things, they want to know if she or any of her Justice Department staff “ever communicated with Amanda Renteria,” who headed Clinton’s political operations during the campaign. Renteria, who has been identified in the document as the senior Clinton campaign aide with whom Lynch privately communicated, has also been asked to testify.

The committee also wanted to know if Lynch or any of her aides were in contact with former DNC chief Debbie Whyisshenotinprisonyet Schultz regarding the Clinton email investigation, according to a three-page list of questions that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein sent to Lynch last year at her New York apartment.

As stated, though that was last year. The issue seemed to disappear , until Graham brought it up today. He asked Wray and Horowitz about the existence of the Lynch email and how it fit into his findings, at which point they both quickly refused to address “ongoing matters.”

Ummmm, did you catch that? So there is yet another probe happening of which we were unaware, and this one is a pretty big deal.

Here is what everyone should be asking themselves:

This IG probe was solely devoted to examining the actions of the FBI and DOJ as they related to the Hillary email probe leading up the election. The Lynch-Whitefolks email would have been some of the most critical evidence related to that inquiry, yet the report has been released and there was no mention of the Renteria exchange.

But not because it didn’t exist — because it apparently led to a bigger investigation. Think about it — the IG report has been released but there is a probe still ongoing regarding what would have been the most damning evidence related to bias.

So what the hell is going on here? What kind of probe has arisen from the email probe? What else do Lynch’s actions relate to that makes it separate from the Hillary probe?

Wray and Horowitz ran away from the question at 100mph.

Keep your eye on that development, folks. It demands some serious answers.

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BIG PICTURE:

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There were some bright spots in today’s hearing, but overall the GOP was very weak.

There should have been Senators yelling — and I mean yelling — about how a Secretary of State was allowed to destroy subpoenaed evidence DURING an investigation and AFTER receiving the subpoena from Congress.

Think about it, people. Democrats had the nerve to ask whether Rudy Giuliani obstructed justice merely by mentioning pardons, meanwhile HILLARY’S IT GUY SET UP AN ILLEGAL SERVER, WIPED IT CLEAN ON HER ORDERS, LITERALLY CALLED IT “THE CLINTON COVERUP” IN PRIVATE EMAILS AND REFUSED TO EVEN SHOW FOR A CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENA, YET DEMOCRATS HAVE THE UNMITIGATED GALL TO TALK ABOUT “OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE” IN TODAY’S HEARING???

As I said last week, this was a softball right down the middle and the GOP only needed to swing. There were a couple good swings today, but most of the day they were able to even get the ball out of the infield. What an absolutely pathetic display.

The one saving grace is there is so much going on behind the scenes right now that no one can say with any sort of intellectual honesty that they know where things are headed. The FISA probe is ongoing, Trump is hinting about knowing something related to the Awan situation and now we even have a probe into Comey’s fake memos. And now we know that the examination of Lynch is still ongoing even after the Hillary probe has wrapped up? Yeah, this thing is far from over.

If you’re cynical, I understand, but I can’t join you until I see where all this other stuff shakes out. I’m not going to blow smoke and tell you that there are myriad “sealed indictments” or sell you some fairy tale about reservations at Gitmo, but the fact is there are lots of investigations going on and a federal prosecutor has been assigned to them.

We ain’t dead yet, folks, and the most important guy of all — #TheDonald — seems to be waiting to weigh in on a much grander scale at some point.

It’s not over, folks. I know it’s tough to keep the faith right now, but no one ever said that faith was easy. If it were, everyone would have it.

Let’s see how things develop before we declare the world a lost cause.

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I’M FALLING IN LOVE WITH THIS LADY

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Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen today took off her belt and spanked the #FakeNewsCrew for their nonstop propaganda related to the separation of families at the border.

During a surprise appearance in the White House press briefing room, Nielsen argued that the growing crisis involving children is not new to the Trump administration and defended the treatment of children in detention.

“This entire crisis, just to be clear, is not new,” Nielsen stated. “Currently, it is the exclusive product of loopholes in our federal immigration laws that prevent illegal immigrant minors and family members from being detained and removed to their home countries.”

Nielsen added: “Congress and the courts created this system, and Congress alone can fix it.”

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The separations are the result of a new “zero-tolerance” policy for people who cross the border illegally announced by the Trump administration in April, which coochie cap nation is seizing on to say “it’s all Trump’s fault.” In reality, “zero tolerance” simply means “we’re actually enforcing the law.” The Trump administration is being bashed for enforcing the law.

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And as Nielsen accurately noted today, it’s a sad state of affairs when Congress chooses to tell a department of government to stop enforcing the law rather than doing their job and changing the law itself.

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Under the zero tolerance directive, all crossers are referred for prosecution and almost always jailed while awaiting trial. More than 2,000 minors have been separated from their family members in just six weeks because children cannot be detained with their parents.

This uptick in separations has led to a nauseating display of faux indignation by Dims and their RINO brethren and become the weapon of choice for open border advocates leading up to immigration debates in Congress.

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Ever notice how every time a big immigration debate is due to happen on the floor, some huge “scandal” erupts? Last time, it was PDT’s infamous “shithole” comments, which Dick Durbin couldn’t wait to leak to the media. Now it’s OMG CONCENTRATION CAMPS ON THE BORDER. Methinks the Dims don’t want to solve this issue so they can use it as a battering ram leading up to the November midterms.

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But I digress.

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What the political and media establishment aren’t telling you (but Nielsen pointed out today), often times those aren’t “families” being separated at all. Many of those minors have no relation to the people they’re with. In fact there’s been a 314% increase in just those types of cases since last year. They’re often the victims of human trafficking, or they’re just being used by the fence-jumpers to increase likelihood of making it to the interior of the country.

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It makes me absolutely irate that so many people would make themselves an obstacle to our border patrol, who already have a hard enough job.

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BIG PICTURE:

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Facts matter, folks, and here they are.

We’ve experienced a 325 friggin % increase in borer crossings by “families” since this time last year. We are being overrun and the Trump administration is doing all it can to stop the bleeding.

Of course, it’s no coincidence that this upsurge in illegals began when PDT started proclaiming that he couldn’t wait to pass amnesty for DACA. There’s a reason so many people are bringing kids now, people. And yes, Trump is at least partially to blame.

But he is at least trying to fix the problem now, and the propaganda media are doing everything they can to stop him.

The TRUTH is that the only people separated from kids are those who ILLEGALLY cross the border rather than applying for asylum at official ports of entry. And in many cases, it can’t be determined that those kids even have a familial relationship to those with whom they arrived, and in some cases they’re determined not to have connections at all. .

THERE IS A LOT OF BAD STUFF GOING ON AT THE BORDER. WE HAVE TO GET A HANDLE ON IT.

When those separations take place, those kids are not sent to a “concentration camp” or anything resembling one. After a temporary shelter detention, which never last more than 72 hours, they’re taken to a rather comfortable facility where they’re fed, educated and entertained. The comparison of those facilities to Holocaust-era concentration camps is more than insulting. It’s an absolute disgrace.

I get the feeling that the anti-Trump crowd is desperate due to his success in virtually every aspect of the presidency and are behaving accordingly. They’re really going over the top here and I have to believe that it will backfire. Yes, many are being fooled, but those numbers will dwindle as facts are released. They always do.

But my God, is it maddening in the meantime.

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SO DO WE GET LIGHTSABERS NOW?

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Ohhhh snap. The military is about to get wayyyyyy cooler.

Move over Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. PDT announced today that you’ve got company, as he has ordered the creation of a new military branch. All hail the “Space Force.”

“It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space. Very importantly I’m hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces, that is a big statement,” Trump said at a meeting of the National Space Council. “We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the space force, separate but equal, it is going to be something.”

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Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that the military will work with Congress and other stakeholders to move forward with the policy.

“We understand the President’s guidance. Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy,” White said in the statement.

The head of NASA said the agency strongly supports Trump’s position “forging a sustainable and focused space policy that strengthens American leadership.”

“As we continue to thrive in space, we also have more people launching to orbit, and an increasingly complex universe of satellites overhead,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement, adding that Trump’s directive “provides guidelines and initiatives to ensure that America is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as space traffic increases. Common sense space situational awareness and traffic management will be good for our economy and will help provide a more stable environment for the burgeoning space economy.”

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford responded “we got it” to Trump when he made the announcement this morning. A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said “space is a warfighting domain” and that the Joint Chiefs of Staff will work with the Pentagon, Congress, and other stakeholders to follow the president’s guidance.

Other military officials, though, are more hesitant to push the idea. Defense Secretary Mad Dog Mattis has pushed back on the idea the military should have a separate space force.

Senior officials with the Air Force have also expressed reservations to Congress about the creation of a separate Space Force. They currently have responsibility for military space operations.

The Space Corps – as it’s been called – was in the House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act but later dropped in conference.

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In a letter last summer to Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who spearheaded the congressional effort against the Space Corps, Mad Dog said he was opposed to the idea:

“At a time when we are trying to integrate the department’s joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations,” Mattis wrote.

PLEASE NOTE: Mattis is NOT saying that he opposes the type of mission that PDT is ordering. He just doesn’t believe a new branch is necessary. He believes that the job can be accomplished by standing up a brigade or two in one of the branches we already have. That’s the only difference between his and PDT’s position.

Mattis thinks the Air Force can handle it, that’s all.

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BIG PICTURE:

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Leftists are getting a big kick out of this because, as usual, they know absolutely zilch about anything related to national security, nor do they care to learn.

You know those intercontinenal ballistic missiles in North Korea that we may be having a war over? The ones designed to bring a nuke to any city in the U.S.? Those require a geo-location satellites. Just like the GPS for your car connects to a satellite to know where it’s going, so do Rocket Man’s missiles. His, China’s, Russia’s….everyone’s.

Space is a big deal now, people. The country who dominates it has a big upper hand in warfare, and we’re already lagging behind.

We need to be able to take out other country’s satellites while protecting our own. That’s the bottom line. Hopefully leftists and RINOs get out of our way so we can get it done.

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TRUMP NOT PLAYING GAMES WITH CHINA

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PDT told us repeatedly on the campaign trail that he was setting his sights on #Gyna to get out trade imbalance sorted out. And man, he wasn’t kidding.

PDT announced today that he is directing his top trade official to identify $200 friggin billion more worth of Chinese goods that will be subject to tariffs, escalating the ongoing dispute to border on a full-scale trade war.

Trump said that China’s decision to retaliate in kind against his first batch of $50 billion in tariffs — announced last Friday — required a U.S. response to encourage China to change its unfair practices.

“China apparently has no intention of changing its unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology,” Trump said in a statement.

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PDT asked U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to find $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that would be hit with a 10% import tax.

“After the legal process is complete, these tariffs will go into effect if China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced,” Trump said.

“If China increases its tariffs yet again, we will meet that action by pursuing additional tariffs on another $200 billion of goods,” he said. “The trade relationship between the United States and China must be much more equitable.”

Whew…..this guy Donald is serious.

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BIG PICTURE:

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I know you folks don’t want to be put to sleep by facts and figures on trade, so I’ll just get straight to ther point here.

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PDT levied a punishment on China last week for stealing all of our damn intellectual property in the form of tariffs on $50B worth of Chinese goods. Rather than take their medicine, they treated the punishment as an attack, despite knowing full well they were guilty of the charge.

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PDT was not amused.

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So now, he’s going to keep going at them until they show us the proper respect. Remember, those tariffs were put in place to combat China’s unfair actions. We’re trying to set things straight. As long as they resist that effort, we’ll keep applying pressure.

Yes, it’s a strategy wrought with economic risks for our side, but it’s even worse for theirs. PDT is banking on the fact that China can’t hang in there as long as we can.

We shall see how this battle ends. If history is any guide, Trump will be the last man standing.

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There it is, homeskillet. You know the drill: questions, comments, concerns, memes, insults, compliments, stickers, jokes, emojis and, if we have time, complaints.

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1 thought on “Daily Recap — June 18”

Oh Trey, I strive to keep informed & keep the PB demons from chewing me up from the inside out, so I will cut to the chase: I will never be GOP member except to vote for Trump or vote for those that support Trump; I will NEVER be a democrat; get rid of the savant Sessions & HRC is psychotic & delusional, she needs hospitalization in a treatment facility out of the Country.